Lancashire Hotpot is probably the most famous dish to come from the county of Lancashire and as you can see in this Lancashire Hotpot recipe it is very simple and straightforward to make. It is a long, slow cooked recipe, yet unlike many stews, it is still quite light and suitable for eating year round (save perhaps on a really hot summers day). Pop it in the oven, leave for a couple of hours and you have a great supper dish and, it tastes even better the next day when the flavors have had time to develop.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 oz/ 55g beef dripping or lard
- 8 middle neck lamb chops, on the bone
- ½ lb/ 225g onions, skinned and finely sliced
- 2 oz/ 55g butter, melted
- 2 lb/ 900g potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
- 4 lambs kidneys, cored and sliced (optional)
- 1 carrot, peeled and thickly sliced
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Preparation:
Serves 4
- Pre heat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6
- In a large frying pan, melt the dripping or lard and heat until hot but not smoking. Quickly color the chops on both side, remove from the fat, and drain on kitchen paper.
- Add the sliced onions to the hot fat and cook quickly, stirring constantly until softened but not colored. Remove from the fat and drain on kitchen paper.
- In a large oven proof casserole pour half the butter in to the bottom then cover with a layer of sliced potato, cover with half the onions, season with salt and pepper. Lay the chops on the top of the onion, don't worry of the bones stick up, this was traditional in Lancashire Hotpot. If using, lay the sliced kidneys over the chops, add the carrot, cover with the remaining onions, season.
- Pour in the stock and Worcestershire Sauce to come two-thirds way up the casserole.
- Cover with another layer of overlapping potatoes, ensuring the surface is completely covered. Brush the potato with the remaining melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cover the pot with a tightly fitting lid and cook in the oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350°F/180°C/Gas 4 and cook for a further 1½ hours.
- Remove the lid from the casserole and cook until the potatoes on the surface are brown, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Serve.
